1
郭崇韜，字安時，代州雁門人也。 父宏正。 崇韜初為李克修帳下親信。 克修鎮昭義，崇韜累典事務，以廉幹稱。 克修卒，武皇用為典謁，奉使鳳翔稱旨，署教練使。 崇韜臨事機警，應對可觀。 莊宗嗣位，尤器重之。 天祐十四年，用為中門副使，與孟知祥、李紹宏俱參機要。 俄而紹宏出典幽州留事，知祥懇辭要職。 先是，中門使吳珙、張虔厚忠而獲罪。 知祥懼，求為外任，妻矞華公主泣請於貞簡太后。 莊宗謂知祥曰：「公欲避路，當舉其代。」 知祥因舉崇韜。 乃署知祥為太原軍在城都虞候。 自是崇韜專典機務，艱難戰伐，靡所不從。
Guo Chongtao, whose style name was Anshi, was a native of Yanmen in Dai Prefecture. His father was Hongzheng. Chongtao began as a trusted confidant in Li Kexiu's personal entourage. While Kexiu held the Zhaoyi command, Chongtao repeatedly handled administrative affairs and earned a reputation for integrity and efficiency. After Kexiu's death, Emperor Wu appointed him Master of Ceremonies. On an embassy to Fengxiang he fulfilled his mission to the emperor's satisfaction and was made Training Commissioner. In handling affairs Chongtao was alert and resourceful, and his replies were impressive. When Emperor Zhuangzong took the throne, he placed exceptional trust in him. In the fourteenth year of Tianyou he was appointed Vice Commissioner of the Inner Gate and, together with Meng Zhixiang and Li Shaohong, shared in confidential state affairs. Soon afterward Shaohong was sent to administer Youzhou as resident commissioner, and Zhixiang earnestly sought to relinquish his key post. Previously, the Inner Gate commissioners Wu Gong and Zhang Qianhou had been loyal men who nevertheless fell under accusation. Meng Zhixiang grew fearful and petitioned for a provincial assignment; his wife, Princess Yuhua, tearfully appealed to Empress Dowager Zhenjian. Emperor Zhuangzong said to Meng Zhixiang, "If you wish to step aside, you must name your successor." Zhixiang thereupon nominated Guo Chongtao. The emperor then appointed Meng Zhixiang Chief Garrison Officer of the Taiyuan army stationed in the capital. From then on Guo Chongtao alone directed state affairs, accompanying the emperor through every hardship and campaign.
2
十八年，從征張文禮於鎮州。 契丹引眾至新樂，王師大恐，諸將鹹請退還魏州，莊宗猶豫未決。 崇韜曰：「阿保機隻為王都所誘，本利貨財，非敦鄰好，苟前鋒小衄，遁走必矣。 況我新破汴寇，威振北地，乘此驅攘，焉往不捷！ 且事之濟否，亦有天命。」 莊宗從之，王師果捷。 明年，李存審收鎮州，遣崇韜閱其府庫，或以珍貨賂遺，一無所取，但市書籍而已。
In the eighteenth year he accompanied the campaign against Zhang Wenli at Zhen Prefecture. When the Khitans marched on Xinle, the imperial forces were gripped with fear. The generals unanimously urged a retreat to Weizhou, but Emperor Zhuangzong remained undecided. Guo Chongtao said, "Abaoji was lured here by Wang Du alone. He came for loot, not out of genuine alliance. If our vanguard inflicts even a minor defeat, he is certain to flee. And we have just crushed the Liang forces and now dominate the north. If we press this advantage, where can we fail to prevail? Besides, whether we succeed also rests with Heaven's mandate." The emperor took his advice, and the imperial army duly won the day. The following year, after Li Cun'an recovered Zhen Prefecture, he sent Guo Chongtao to inspect its treasury. Many offered him precious gifts, but he accepted nothing and bought only books.
3
莊宗即位於魏州，崇韜加檢校太保、守兵部尚書，充樞密使。 是時，衛州陷於梁，澶、相之間，寇鈔日至，民流地削，軍儲不給，群情恟恟，以為霸業終不能就，崇韜寢不安席。 俄而王彥章陷德勝南城，敵勢滋蔓，汴人急攻楊劉城。 明宗在鄆，音驛斷絕。 莊宗登城四望，計無所出。 崇韜啟曰：「段凝阻絕津路，苟王師不南，鄆州安能保守！ 臣請於博州東岸立柵，以固通津，但慮汴人偵知，徑來薄我，請陛下募敢死之士，日以挑戰，如三四日間。 賊軍未至，則柵壘成矣。」 崇韜率毛璋等萬人夜趨博州，視矛戟之端有光，崇韜曰：「吾聞火出兵刃，破賊之兆也。」 至博州，渡河版築，晝夜不息。 崇韜於葭葦間據胡床假寢，覺褲中冷，左右視之，乃蛇也，其忘疲勵力也如是。 居三日，梁軍果至，城壘低庳，沙土散惡，戰具不完，汴將王彥章、杜晏球率眾攻擊，軍不得休息。 崇韜身先督眾，四面拒戰，有急即應，城垂陷，俄報莊宗領親軍次西岸，梁軍聞之退走，因解楊劉之圍。
When Emperor Zhuangzong took the throne at Weizhou, Guo Chongtao was promoted to Honorary Grand Mentor and Acting Minister of War and appointed Chief Privy Commissioner. At that time Weizhou had fallen to Liang, and between Chan and Xiang raids occurred daily. The people fled, territory shrank, and military supplies ran short. Morale collapsed as many concluded the quest for empire was doomed, and Guo Chongtao could not rest easy. Soon Wang Yanzhang captured the southern sector of Desheng, enemy strength swelled, and the Liang forces pressed hard against Yangliu. Emperor Mingzong was at Yan, and all lines of communication had been severed. Emperor Zhuangzong climbed the city wall and scanned the horizon, but no plan suggested itself. Guo Chongtao addressed him, saying, "Duan Ning has cut the river crossings. If our army does not advance south, how can Yan be held? I propose building fortifications on the east bank of the Bo River to secure the crossing, but I fear the Liang may learn of it and strike at us directly. Your Majesty should recruit fearless soldiers to engage them in daily skirmishes—for three or four days. Before the enemy reaches us, the fortifications will be finished." Guo Chongtao led Mao Zhang and ten thousand men on a forced night march to Bozhou. When he saw light gleaming on spear and halberd points, he said, "I have heard that fire on weapons portends victory over the enemy." Reaching Bozhou, they crossed the river and threw up earthworks without pause day or night. Once, while resting on a camp stool among the reeds, Guo Chongtao felt something cold in his trousers; his attendants looked and found a snake. Such was his oblivious devotion to the work. Three days later the Liang army arrived. The walls were low, the soil loose and poor, and the equipment incomplete. Wang Yanzhang and Du Yanqiu of Liang led their forces in repeated assaults, giving the defenders no respite. Guo Chongtao personally directed the defense on every side, rushing wherever the fighting was fiercest. The city was near capture when word came that Emperor Zhuangzong had reached the west bank with his elite guard. The Liang army withdrew at the news, lifting the siege of Yangliu.
4
未幾，汴將康延孝來奔，崇韜延於臥內，訊其軍機。 延孝曰：「汴人將四道齊舉，以困我軍。」 莊宗憂之，召諸將謀進取之策。 宣徽使李紹宏請棄鄆州，與汴人盟，以河為界，無相侵寇。 莊宗不悅，獨臥帳中，召崇韜謂曰：「計將安出？」 對曰：「臣不知書，不能征比前古，請以時事言之。 自陛下十五年起義圖霸，為雪家讎國恥，甲胄生蟣虱，黎人困輸挽。 今纂崇大號，河朔士庶，日望蕩平，才得汶陽尺寸之地，不敢保守，況盡有中原乎！ 將來歲賦不充，物議谘怨，設若劃河為界，誰為陛下守之？ 臣自延孝言事以來，晝夜籌度，料我兵力，算賊事機，不出今年，雌雄必決。 聞汴人決河，自滑至鄆，非舟楫不能濟。 又聞精兵盡在段凝麾下，王彥章日寇鄆境，彼既以大軍臨我南鄙，又憑恃決河，謂我不能南渡，志在收復汶陽，此汴人之謀也。 臣謂段凝保據河壖，苟欲持我，臣但請留兵守鄴，保固楊劉； 陛下親禦六軍，長驅倍道，直指大梁，汴城無兵，望風自潰。 若使偽主授首，賊將自然倒戈，半月之間，天下必定。 如不決此計，傍采浮譚，臣恐不能濟也。 今歲秋稼不登，軍糧才支數月，決則成敗未知，不決則坐見不濟。 臣聞作舍道邊，三年不成，帝王應運，必有天命，成敗天也，在陛下獨斷。」 莊宗蹶然而興曰：「正合吾意。 丈夫得則為王，失則為擄，行計決矣！」 即日下令軍中，家口並還魏州。 莊宗送劉皇后與興聖宮使繼岌至朝城西野亭泣別，曰：「事勢危蹙，今須一決，事苟不濟，無復相見。」 乃留李紹宏及租庸使張憲守魏州，大軍自楊劉濟河。 是歲，擒王彥章，誅梁氏，降段凝，皆崇韜讚成其謀也。
Soon afterward the Liang general Kang Yanxiao defected to them. Guo Chongtao received him in his quarters and questioned him about enemy dispositions. Kang Yanxiao said, "The Liang intend a four-pronged advance to pin down our forces." The emperor was deeply troubled and summoned his generals to devise an offensive strategy. Chief Palace Attendant Li Shaohong proposed abandoning Yan, concluding a treaty with Liang with the Yellow River as the border and a mutual pledge against raiding. Emperor Zhuangzong was displeased. Retiring alone to his tent, he summoned Guo Chongtao and asked, "What is your plan?" He answered, "I am no scholar and cannot marshal precedents from antiquity, so let me speak from present circumstances alone. Since Your Majesty took up arms at fifteen to forge an empire and avenge your family's wrongs and the nation's shame, armor has rusted on men's backs and the people have been broken by conscription and supply levies. You have now ascended the throne, and the people of the north look daily for final victory. Yet having gained only a foothold in Wenyang, would you dare not hold it—let alone quit the field when all the Central Plain lies within reach? Annual revenue will fail, public resentment will swell, and if we carve out the river as a border, who will defend it for you? Since Kang Yanxiao's report I have reckoned day and night on our strength and the enemy's design. Victory or defeat must be decided this year. I have learned that the Liang have diverted the river from Hua to Yan, so crossing south requires boats. Their best troops are massed under Duan Ning, while Wang Yanzhang harasses Yan daily. They mean to pin us with a great army on our southern frontier while trusting the breached river to keep us from crossing south and reconquering Wenyang. That is the Liang plan. Leave Duan Ning to hold the river line while he tries to pin us down. Leave enough troops to hold Ye and secure Yangliu; Your Majesty should lead the main army in forced march straight upon Daliang. Bianliang stands undefended and will crumble at your approach. Once their pretender is captured, their generals will defect of their own accord, and within half a month the realm will be settled. If you do not commit to this plan and instead heed every idle rumor, I fear we will achieve nothing. The autumn harvest has failed this year, and our military stores will last only a few months. To act is to gamble on an uncertain outcome; to hesitate is to watch defeat arrive without lifting a hand. They say a house built by the roadside never gets finished in three years, yet an emperor who rises by Heaven's decree cannot lack Heaven's mandate. Victory or defeat is Heaven's to grant—it is for Your Majesty alone to decide." 」Zhuangzong leapt to his feet and declared, "That is precisely what I mean. Win and you are king; lose and you are a prisoner—the course is set! 」That same day he ordered the army to send all dependents back to Weizhou. Zhuangzong saw Empress Liu and Jiji, Director of the Palace of Exalted Sanctity, off to the wild pavilion west of Chaocheng, weeping as he parted from them. He said, "The crisis leaves no room for delay—we must settle this now. If we fail, we will never see each other again. 」He left Li Shaohong and Zhang Xian, Commissioner of Land Tax, to hold Weizhou, while the main force crossed the river from Yangliu. That year Wang Yanzhang was captured, the Liang dynasty was overthrown, and Duan Ning surrendered—all achievements that Guo Chongtao had urged and helped bring to pass.
5
莊宗至汴州，宰相豆盧革在魏州，令崇韜權行中書事。 俄拜侍中兼樞密使，及郊禮畢，以崇韜兼領鎮、冀州節度使，進封趙郡公，邑二千戶，賜鐵券，恕十死。 崇韜既位極人臣，權傾內外，謀猷獻納，必盡忠規，士族朝倫，頗亦收獎人物，內外翕然稱之。 初收汴、洛，稍通賂遺，親友或規之，崇韜曰：「餘備位將相，祿賜巨萬，但偽梁之日，賂遺成風，今方面藩侯，多梁之舊將，皆吾君射鉤斬祛之人也。 一旦革麵，化為吾人，堅拒其請，得無懼乎！ 藏餘私室，無異公帑。」 及郊禋，崇韜悉獻家財，以助賞給。 時近臣勸莊宗以貢奉物為內庫，珍貨山積，公府賞軍不足。 崇韜奏請出內庫之財以助，莊宗沉吟有靳惜之意。 是時天下已定，寇仇外息，莊宗漸務華侈，以逞己欲。 洛陽大內宏敞，宮宇深邃，宦官阿意順旨，以希恩寵，聲言宮中夜見鬼物，不謀同辭。 莊宗駭異其事，且問其故。 宦者曰：「見本朝長安大內，六宮嬪御，殆及萬人，椒房蘭室，無不充刃。 今宮室大半空閑，鬼神尚幽，亦無所怪。」 由是景進、王允平等於諸道采擇宮人，不擇良賤，內之宮掖。
When Zhuangzong arrived at Bianzhou, Grand Counselor Doulu Ge remained at Weizhou, and Zhuangzong put Guo Chongtao in charge of Secretariat affairs on a provisional basis. He was soon made Palace Attendant while retaining his post as Commissioner of Military Affairs. After the suburban rites, Guo Chongtao was also appointed military governor of Zhen and Ji, ennobled as Duke of Zhao with a fief of two thousand households, and granted an iron certificate absolving him of ten capital offenses. With Guo Chongtao at the summit of power, his influence extending throughout court and realm, every proposal he submitted was forthright loyal counsel. He also patronized and promoted talented men among the gentry and court officials, and acclaim for him was widespread within and without. After the capture of Bian and Luoyang, he allowed some exchange of gifts and bribes. When friends and relatives counseled him against it, Guo Chongtao said, "I occupy the rank of general and minister, with emoluments in the tens of thousands. Yet under the false Liang, bribery was endemic; most of the frontier lords today are former Liang commanders—men our lord once had reason to kill but chose to spare. They have changed sides overnight and become our allies—if I refuse their gifts outright, will they not take alarm! Whatever I receive goes into my private store—but it is no different from the public purse. 」At the suburban sacrifice, he donated his entire personal fortune to help fund imperial rewards. At the time, close advisers urged Zhuangzong to hoard tribute goods in the inner treasury. Precious valuables piled up like mountains, yet the public coffers could not cover military rewards. Guo Chongtao petitioned to draw on the inner treasury to make up the shortfall, but Zhuangzong hesitated, clearly unwilling to spend it. By then the empire was pacified and external threats had subsided. Zhuangzong gradually gave himself over to luxury and indulgence. The inner palace at Luoyang was vast, its halls deep and sprawling. Eunuchs curried favor by echoing one another's claim that ghostly apparitions were seen in the palace at night. Zhuangzong was disturbed and asked why this should be. The eunuchs said, "In our dynasty's Chang'an, the inner palace housed nearly ten thousand consorts and concubines from the six palaces. Every chamber was fully occupied. Now most of the palace stands empty. Spirits naturally haunt deserted places—there is nothing surprising in that. 」As a result, Jing Jin, Wang Yunping, and others scoured the provinces for palace women, accepting anyone regardless of quality or background, and brought them into the inner quarters.
6
三年夏，雨，河大水，壞天津橋。 是時，酷暑尤甚。 莊宗常擇高樓避暑，皆不稱旨。 宦官曰：「今大內樓觀，不及舊時長安卿相之家，舊日大明、興慶兩宮，樓觀百數，皆雕楹畫栱，幹雲蔽日，今官家納涼無可禦者。」 莊宗曰：「餘富有天下，豈不能辦一樓！」 即令宮苑使經營之，猶慮崇韜有所諫止，使謂崇韜曰：「今年惡熱，朕頃在河上，五六月中，與賊對壘，行宮卑濕，介馬戰賊，恒若清涼。 今晏然深宮，不耐暑毒，何也？」 崇韜奏：「陛下頃在河上，汴寇未平，廢寢忘食，心在戰陣，祁寒溽暑，不介聖懷。 今寇既平，中原無事，縱耳目之玩，不憂戰陣，雖層台百尺，廣殿九筵，未能忘熱於今日也。 願陛下思艱難創業之際，則今日之暑，坐變清涼。」 莊宗默然。 王允平等竟加營造，崇韜復奏曰：「內中營造，日有縻費，屬當災饉，且乞權停。」 不聽。
In the third year, summer brought heavy rains; the Yellow River rose in flood and destroyed the Tianjin Bridge. The heat that summer was exceptionally severe. Zhuangzong tried one high pavilion after another seeking relief from the heat, but none satisfied him. The eunuchs said, "The towers and halls of today's inner palace cannot compare even with the mansions of Chang'an officials in the old days. The Daming and Xingqing palaces once had hundreds of towers, all with carved pillars and painted brackets soaring to the clouds and blotting out the sun. His Majesty now has nowhere fit to escape the heat. 」Zhuangzong replied, "I rule all under Heaven—surely I can afford one tower! 」He immediately ordered the Director of Palace Parks to begin construction. Still concerned that Guo Chongtao might object, he had someone say to him, "The heat this year is unbearable. When I was on the Yellow River recently, fighting the enemy through the fifth and sixth months from a damp, low camp, riding into battle in armor always felt refreshingly cool. Now I sit at ease in the inner palace and cannot endure the heat—why should that be? 」Guo Chongtao replied, "When Your Majesty was on the river, the rebels of Bian had not yet been crushed. You went without sleep and food, your mind wholly on the battlefield. Bitter cold and crushing heat alike never touched you. Now the enemy is defeated and the heartland is at peace. Your mind turns to pleasure and no longer to war—even towers a hundred feet tall and halls nine bays wide cannot make today's heat feel any less. If Your Majesty would only remember the hardships of building this empire, today's heat would feel cool enough while you sit still. 」Zhuangzong said nothing. Wang Yunping and his cohort went on building regardless. Guo Chongtao submitted another memorial: "Palace construction drains resources daily. With famine upon us, I beg that it be suspended for now. 」The emperor refused to listen.
7
初，崇韜與李紹宏同為內職，及莊宗即位，崇韜以紹宏素在己上，舊人難製，即奏澤潞監軍張居翰同掌樞密，以紹宏為宣徽使。 紹宏大失所望，泣涕憤鬱。 崇韜乃置內勾使，應三司財賦，皆令勾覆，令紹宏領之，冀塞其心。 紹宏怏悵不已。 崇韜自以有大功，河、洛平定之後，權位熏灼，恐為人所傾奪，乃謂諸子曰：「吾佐主上，大事了矣，今為群邪排毀，吾欲避之，歸鎮常山，為菟裘之計。」 其子廷說等曰：「大人功名及此，一失其勢，便是神龍去水，為螻蟻所製，尤宜深察。」 門人故吏又謂崇韜曰：「侍中勳業第一，雖群官側目，必未能離間。 宜於此時堅辭機務，上必不聽，是有辭避之名，塞其讒慝之口。 魏國夫人劉氏有寵，中宮未正，宜讚成冊禮，上心必悅。 內得劉氏之助，群閹其如餘何！」 崇韜然之，於是三上章堅辭樞密之位，優詔不從。 崇韜乃密奏請立魏國夫人為皇后，復奏時務利害二十五條，皆便於時，取悅人心； 又請罷樞密院事，各歸本司，以輕其權，然宦官造謗不已。
Earlier, Guo Chongtao and Li Shaohong had both served in the inner administration. After Zhuangzong's accession, Guo Chongtao—finding that Li Shaohong had always outranked him and that an old associate was difficult to manage—petitioned to have Zhang Juhán, military commissioner of Ze and Lu, share control of Military Affairs, while appointing Li Shaohong Commissioner of the Palace Secretariat. Li Shaohong was bitterly disappointed and wept in frustration. Guo Chongtao then created the post of inner auditing commissioner, putting all revenues of the three fiscal bureaus under audit and assigning Li Shaohong to head it, hoping to mollify him. Li Shaohong remained aggrieved and unsatisfied. Believing his achievements unrivaled, Guo Chongtao after the pacification of the river lands and Luoyang wielded power so conspicuously that he feared rivals would bring him down. He told his sons, "I have served the emperor well and the great work is finished. Now the wicked circle against me. I mean to withdraw to my post at Changshan and seek a quiet place to live out my days. 」His sons Tingshuo and the others replied, "Father, you have risen to the height of power. Lose that position and you are a dragon out of water—at the mercy of ants. You must think carefully about this. 」His retainers and former subordinates also counseled him: "Your merit is without peer. Though rivals watch you with envy, none can yet come between you and the emperor. You should resign your core duties now. The emperor will refuse, of course—but that gives you the reputation of one who sought to step aside, and it silences the slanderers. Lady Liu of Wei enjoys the emperor's favor while the empress's throne remains vacant. Urge her formal investiture—the emperor will be delighted. With Lady Liu's support within the palace, what can those eunuchs do to you! 」Guo Chongtao took this advice. He submitted three memorials firmly resigning his post as Commissioner of Military Affairs, but each gracious edict from the throne refused his request. Guo Chongtao then secretly petitioned to have Lady Liu of Wei ennobled as empress. He also submitted twenty-five recommendations on pressing affairs of state—all timely, practical, and designed to win popular approval; He further petitioned to abolish the Bureau of Military Affairs and restore its functions to the regular ministries, thereby reducing his own authority—yet the eunuchs never stopped spreading calumny against him.
8
三年，堅乞罷兼領節鉞，許之。 〈（《冊府元龜》云：同光中，崇韜再表辭鎮，批答曰：「朕以卿久司樞要，常處重難。 或遲疑未決之機，詢諸先見； 或憂撓不定之事，訪自必成。 至於讚朕丕基，登茲大寶，眾興異論，卿獨堅言，天命不可違，唐祚必須復，請納家族，明設誓文，及其密取汶陽，興師入不測之地； 潛通河口，貢謀占必濟之津。 人所不知，卿惟合意。 迨中都嘯聚，群黨窺陵，朕決議平妖，兼收浚水，雖雲先定，更審前籌，果盡讚成，悉諧沈算，斯即何須冒刃，始顯殊庸。 況常山陸梁，正虞未復，卿能撫眾，共定群心，惟朕知卿，他人寧表。 所以賞卿之龐，實異等倫； 沃朕之心，非虛渥澤。 今卿再三謙遜，重疊退辭，始納常陽，請歸上將，又稱梁苑，不可兼權。 如此周身，貴全名節，古人操守，未可比方，既覽堅辭，難沮來表。 其再讓汴州，所宜依允。」）〉
In the third year of Tongguang, he firmly petitioned to relinquish his concurrent military governorship, and the emperor granted his request. (The Cefu Yuangui records: During the Tongguang reign, Guo Chongtao twice memorialized requesting relief from his frontier command. The throne replied in rescript: 'You have long held the keys of state and borne me through grave crises. When I lingered uncertain at the crossroads, I looked to your foresight; when affairs disturbed my judgment, I asked your counsel and found it always proved true. When I was raised upon the throne, the court was divided in opinion, yet you alone insisted that Heaven's mandate was not to be resisted and the House of Tang must be restored, pledging your own kin and binding us with solemn oaths; when you secretly secured Wenyang and marched into the unknown; when you opened secret routes at Hekou and laid plans for the ford that had to hold. What remained hidden from others, you alone understood as I meant it. When rebellion howled at Zhongdu and traitors cast hungry eyes upon the imperial tombs, I resolved to crush the rebels and recover the Jun River. Though victory seemed already assured, I weighed again your earlier design—and found every outcome matched your praise and your deepest reckoning. What need, then, to risk the blade before your uncommon merit stood plain? Moreover, while Changshan still raged in revolt and Zhenzhou remained unredeemed, you soothed the people and steadied every heart. I alone know what you are worth; who else would dare speak for you? The rewards I heaped upon you were without equal among men; They have warmed my heart, and were no empty grace. Now you beg off again and again, asking to yield command after command—willing to keep only Changshan, willing to surrender your rank as chief general, insisting that the Liang Garden command cannot be held with other posts. Such care for one's standing, such hunger to preserve name and integrity—no paragon of antiquity could match it. Having read your earnest resignations, I cannot easily refuse what you now submit. Your renewed request to relinquish Bianzhou should be granted as you ask.'')〉
9
會客省使李嚴使西川回，言王衍可圖之狀，莊宗與崇韜議討伐之謀，方擇大將。 時明宗為諸道兵馬總管當行，崇韜自以宦者相傾，欲立大功以製之，乃奏曰：「契丹犯邊，北面須藉大臣，全倚總管鎮禦。 臣伏念興聖宮使繼岌，德望日隆，大功未著，宜依故事，以親王為元帥，付以討伐之權，俾成其威望。」 莊宗方愛繼岌，即曰：「小兒幼稚，安能獨行，卿當擇其副。」 崇韜未奏，莊宗曰：「無逾於卿者。」 乃以繼岌為都統，崇韜為招討使。 是歲九月十八日，率親軍六萬，進討蜀川。 崇韜將發，奏曰：「臣以非才，謬當戎事，仗將士之忠力，憑陛下之威靈，庶幾克捷。 若西川平定，陛下擇帥，如信厚善謀，事君有節，則孟知祥有焉，望以蜀帥授之。 如宰輔闕人，張憲有披榛之勞，為人謹重而多識。 其次李琪、崔居儉，中朝士族，富有文學，可擇而任之。」 莊宗禦嘉慶殿，置酒宴征西諸將，舉酒屬崇韜曰：「繼岌未習軍政，卿久從吾戰伐，西面之事，屬之於卿。」
About then Guest Affairs Commissioner Li Yan returned from his mission to the West River circuit and reported that Wang Yan's realm was ripe for conquest. Emperor Zhuangzong and Guo Chongtao debated the campaign and were still choosing a commander. At the time Li Siyuan, as overall commander of the armies of all circuits, was slated to lead the campaign. Guo Chongtao, knowing the eunuchs were working against him, sought a great victory with which to restrain them. He memorialized: "The Khitans are raiding the frontier; the northern line must rest on a senior minister—the overall commander is needed there to hold the defense. I reflect that the Director of the Xingsheng Palace, Li Jiji, grows daily in stature and reputation, yet has not won a great victory of his own. Precedent calls for an imperial prince as commander-in-chief, entrusted with the power of expedition, so that his authority may be established." Emperor Zhuangzong, who doted on Jiji, said at once: "The boy is still young. How could he go alone? You must choose his deputy." Before Guo Chongtao could answer, the emperor said: "There is no one better suited than you." Jiji was appointed overall commander, and Guo Chongtao Pacification Commissioner. That year, on the eighteenth day of the ninth month, he led sixty thousand imperial guards west against Shu. As Guo Chongtao was about to depart, he memorialized: "I am unworthy and have been wrongly placed in command of war. Trusting in the loyalty and strength of the troops and in Your Majesty's august power, I hope we may prevail. If the West River circuit is pacified and Your Majesty chooses a governor—one loyal, trustworthy, prudent in counsel, and restrained in service—Meng Zhixiang is such a man. I ask that the Shu command be given to him. If the chief ministers need filling, Zhang Xian cleared the thorns at the founding and is a man of gravity, prudence, and wide learning. Next are Li Qi and Cui Jujian, eminent clansmen of the central court, men of literary accomplishment who may be chosen and appointed." Emperor Zhuangzong held court in the Jiaqing Hall and feasted the generals bound for the west. Raising his cup to Guo Chongtao, he said: "Jiji has not yet learned the arts of war. You have long marched at my side. The western campaign is yours to command."
10
軍發，十月十九日入大散關，崇韜以馬箠指山險謂魏王曰：「朝廷興師十萬，已入此中，儻不成功，安有歸路？ 今岐下飛挽，才支旬日，必須先取鳳州，收其儲積，方濟吾事。」 乃令李嚴、康延孝先馳書檄，以諭偽鳳州節度使王承捷。 及大軍至，承捷果以城降，得兵八千，軍儲四十萬。 次至故鎮，偽命屯駐指揮使唐景思亦以城降，得兵四千。 又下三泉，得軍儲三十餘萬。 自是師無匱乏，軍聲大振。 其招懷製置，官吏補置，師行籌畫，軍書告諭，皆出於崇韜，繼岌承命而已。 莊宗令內官李廷安、李從襲、呂知柔為都統府紀綱，見崇韜幕府繁重，將吏輻輳，降人爭先賂遺，都統府唯大將省謁，牙門索然，由是大為詬恥。 及六軍使王宗弼歸款，行賂先招討府。 王衍以成都降，崇韜居王宗弼之第。 宗弼選王衍之妓妾珍玩以奉崇韜，求為蜀帥，崇韜許之。 又與崇韜子廷誨謀，令蜀人列狀見魏王，請奏崇韜為蜀帥。 繼岌覽狀謂崇韜曰：「主上倚侍中如衡、華，安肯棄元老於蠻夷之地，況餘不敢議此。」 〈（《九國誌·王宗弼傳》：宗弼送款於魏王，乃還成都，盡輦內藏之寶貨，歸於其家。 魏王遣使征犒軍錢數千萬，宗弼輒靳之，魏王甚怒。 及王師至，令其子承班齎衍玩用直百萬，獻於魏王，並賂郭崇韜，請以己為西川節度使。 魏王曰：「此吾家之物，焉用獻為！」 魏王入城，翌日，數其不忠之罪，並其子斬之於市。）〉 李從襲等謂繼岌曰：「郭公收蜀部人情，意在難測，王宜自備。」 由是兩相猜察。
The army marched out. On the nineteenth day of the tenth month they entered Dasan Pass. Guo Chongtao pointed with his riding crop at the treacherous mountains and said to the Prince of Wei: "The court has sent a hundred thousand men into this trap. If we fail here, what road home remains? Supplies rushed up from beneath Qi will barely last ten days. We must take Fengzhou first and seize its stores, or our cause is lost." He then ordered Li Yan and Kang Yanziao to ride ahead with letters and proclamations to summon the puppet Fengzhou military commissioner Wang Chengjie. When the main army arrived, Chengjie surrendered the city as expected, yielding eight thousand troops and four hundred thousand units of provisions. Next they reached Guzhen, where Tang Jingsi, the garrison commander appointed by the puppet court, also surrendered the city and yielded four thousand troops. They then took Sanquan and obtained more than three hundred thousand units of provisions. From then on the army lacked nothing, and its martial renown swelled. Recruitment and pacification, administrative arrangements, filling official posts, planning the march, and drafting orders and proclamations—all came from Guo Chongtao. Li Jiji merely received and carried out his commands. Emperor Zhuangzong appointed the eunuchs Li Ting'an, Li Congxi, and Lü Zhirou as disciplinarians of the overall command headquarters. They saw Guo Chongtao's headquarters thronged with officers and clerks, with surrendered men vying to offer bribes, while the prince's own headquarters received only the chief generals on formal visits and its gate stood empty. They were deeply shamed. When Wang Zongbi, commander of the Six Armies, came over to the Tang side, he sent bribes first to the Pacification Commissioner's headquarters. When Wang Yan surrendered Chengdu, Guo Chongtao took up residence in Wang Zongbi's mansion. Zongbi selected Wang Yan's courtesans and treasures to present to Guo Chongtao and asked to be made governor of Shu; Chongtao agreed. He also plotted with Guo Chongtao's son Tinghui to have men of Shu submit collective petitions to the Prince of Wei asking that a memorial be sent appointing Guo Chongtao governor of Shu. Jiji read the petitions and said to Guo Chongtao: "His Majesty relies on you as on Mount Heng and Mount Hua—how would he cast a senior minister off into barbarian country? As for me, I dare not even speak of such a thing." (Biography of Wang Zongbi in the Jiuguo Zhi: After Zongbi submitted allegiance to the Prince of Wei, he returned to Chengdu and carted off all the treasures of the inner treasury to his own house. The Prince of Wei sent envoys to levy several tens of millions in cash to reward the army, but Zongbi repeatedly refused, and the prince was furious. When the imperial army arrived, he had his son Chengbian bring Wang Yan's playthings worth a million in cash, present them to the Prince of Wei, and also bribe Guo Chongtao, asking to be made military commissioner of the West River circuit. The Prince of Wei said: "These are things of my own house—why offer them as gifts!" The day after the prince entered the city, he enumerated Zongbi's crimes of disloyalty and executed him and his son in the marketplace.)〉 Li Congxi and the others said to Jiji: "Minister Guo has won over the people of Shu, and his intentions are hard to read. Your Highness should be on your guard." From this mutual suspicion took hold between them.
11
莊宗令中官向延嗣齎詔至蜀，促班師，詔使至，崇韜不郊迎，延嗣憤憤。 從襲謂之曰：「魏王，貴太子也，主上萬福，郭公專弄威柄，旁若無人。 昨令蜀人請己為帥，郭廷誨擁徒出入，貴擬王者，所與狎遊，無非軍中驍果，蜀中凶豪，晝夜妓樂歡宴，指天畫地，父子如此，可見其心。 今諸軍將校，無非郭氏之黨，魏王懸軍孤弱，一朝班師，必恐紛亂，吾屬莫知暴骨之所！」 因相向垂涕。 延嗣使還具奏，皇后泣告莊宗，乞保全繼岌。 莊宗復閱蜀簿曰：「人言蜀中珠玉金銀，不知其數，何如是之微也！」 延嗣奏曰：「臣問蜀人，知蜀中寶貨皆入崇韜之門，言崇韜得金萬兩，銀四十萬，名馬千匹，王衍愛妓六十，樂工百，犀玉帶百。 廷誨自有金銀十萬兩，犀玉帶五十，藝色絕妓七十，樂工七十，他財稱是。 魏王府，蜀人賂遺不過遣匹馬而已。」 莊宗初聞崇韜欲留蜀，心已不平，又聞全有蜀之妓樂珍玩，怒見顏色。 即令中官馬彥珪馳入蜀視崇韜去就，如班師則已，如實遲留，則與繼岌圖之。 彥珪見皇后曰：「禍機之發，間不容發，何能數千里外復稟聖旨哉！」 皇后再言之，莊宗曰：「未知事之實否，詎可便令果決？」 皇后乃自為教與繼岌，令殺崇韜。 時蜀土初平，山林多盜，孟知祥未至，崇韜令任圜、張筠分道招撫，慮師還後，部曲不寧，故歸期稍緩。
Emperor Zhuangzong sent the eunuch Xiang Yansi to Shu with an edict ordering the army's return. When the imperial messenger arrived, Guo Chongtao failed to greet him with the customary ceremony at the city outskirts, and Yansi was incensed. Li Congxi said to him, "The Prince of Wei is the heir apparent—while the emperor enjoys every blessing under heaven, Lord Guo wields power alone and carries himself as though the rest of us did not exist. Just yesterday they had the people of Shu petition to make him regional commander. Guo Tinghui travels about surrounded by his own followers, carrying himself almost like a king. His companions are the army's boldest fighters and Shu's most dangerous ruffians. Day and night the two hold banquets of wine, music, and women, swearing reckless oaths with grand gestures—and from such conduct, father and son alike, their ambitions are plain. Every officer in the army now seems to belong to the Guo faction. The Prince of Wei is stranded far from home with only a slender force. Once we withdraw, chaos is all but certain—and we may never know where our bones will be left to rot!" They broke down in tears as they faced one another. Yansi reported everything on his return. The empress wept before Emperor Zhuangzong and begged him to protect Li Jiji. Emperor Zhuangzong again reviewed the Shu account books and said, "Everyone says the pearls, jade, gold, and silver of Shu are beyond numbering—how can the tally be so small?" Yansi reported, "I questioned people in Shu and learned that the region's treasures had all passed through Guo Chongtao's hands. They say he took ten thousand liang of gold, four hundred thousand of silver, a thousand fine horses, sixty of Wang Yan's favorite concubines, a hundred musicians, and a hundred rhinoceros-horn and jade belts. Guo Tinghui personally held a hundred thousand liang in gold and silver, fifty rhinoceros-horn and jade belts, seventy courtesans of rare beauty and talent, seventy musicians, and comparable riches besides. As for the Prince of Wei's household, gifts from Shu amounted to little more than the loan of a horse." Emperor Zhuangzong had already resented the rumor that Guo Chongtao meant to stay in Shu; when he heard next that Chongtao had taken for himself all the region's courtesans, musicians, and treasures, his anger was plain on his face. He immediately dispatched the eunuch Ma Yan'gui to Shu to learn whether Guo Chongtao intended to withdraw. If Chongtao returned with the army, nothing more need be done; if he truly meant to linger, Yan'gui was to join Li Jiji in removing him. Ma Yan'gui told the empress, "When disaster is about to strike, not a moment can be wasted—how can we seek fresh orders from thousands of li away?" The empress pressed the point again. Emperor Zhuangzong said, "We do not yet know whether any of this is true—how can we order so fatal a step on hearsay alone?" The empress then wrote her own order to Li Jiji commanding Guo Chongtao's death. Shu had only just been pacified; bandits still roamed the hills, and Meng Zhixiang had not yet arrived. Guo Chongtao sent Ren Yuan and Zhang Jun along separate routes to win over and settle the countryside, fearing unrest among his followers once the army withdrew—hence the slight delay in their return.
12
四年正月六日，馬彥珪至軍，決取十二日發成都赴闕，令任圜權知留事，以俟知祥。 諸軍部署已定，彥珪出皇后教以示繼岌，繼岌曰：「大軍將發，他無釁端，安得為此負心事！ 公輩勿復言。」 從襲等泣曰：「聖上既有口敕，王若不行，苟中途事泄，為患轉深。」 繼岌曰：「上無詔書，徒以皇后教令，安得殺招討使！」 從襲等巧造事端以間之，繼岌既英斷，僶俛從之。 詰旦，從襲以繼岌之命召崇韜計事，繼岌登樓避之，崇韜入，左右楇殺之。 崇韜有子五人，廷信、廷誨隨父死於蜀，廷說誅於洛陽，廷讓誅於魏州，廷議誅於太原，家產籍沒。 明宗即位，詔令歸葬，仍賜太原舊宅。 延誨、廷讓各有幼子一人，姻族保之獲免，崇韜妻周氏，攜養於太原。
On the sixth day of the first month of the fourth year, Ma Yan'gui reached headquarters. They set the twelfth as the day to march from Chengdu for the capital, left Ren Yuan in charge of local affairs, and waited for Meng Zhixiang. With the army's dispositions complete, Yan'gui showed Li Jiji the empress's order. Li Jiji said, "The army is on the eve of departure, and there is no other provocation—how can I commit so shameful an act! Say no more of it." Li Congxi and the others wept and said, "The emperor has already given the command by word of mouth. If you refuse and the plot leaks midway, the consequences will only grow worse." Li Jiji said, "There is no imperial edict—only the empress's order. How can I kill the expeditionary commander!" Li Congxi and the others artfully manufactured provocations to destroy trust between them. Though Li Jiji was resolute by nature, in the end he bowed to their pressure and agreed. At dawn Li Congxi, acting on Li Jiji's orders, summoned Guo Chongtao to discuss business. Li Jiji climbed a tower to keep his distance. When Chongtao entered, attendants clubbed him to death. Guo Chongtao had five sons. Tingxin and Tinghui died with their father in Shu. Tingshuo was executed in Luoyang, Tingrang at Weizhou, and Tingyi at Taiyuan. The family's estates were confiscated. When Emperor Mingzong took the throne, he ordered Guo Chongtao reburied with honor and restored the family's former residence in Taiyuan. Tinghui and Tingrang each left a young son; kinsmen by marriage sheltered them and they were spared. Guo Chongtao's wife, Lady Zhou, took them in and raised them in Taiyuan.
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崇韜服勤盡節，佐佑王家，草昧艱難，功無與比，西平巴蜀，宣暢皇威，身死之日，夷夏冤之。 然議者以崇韜功烈雖多，事權太重，不能處身量力，而聽小人誤計，欲取泰山之安，如急行避跡，其禍愈速。 性復剛戾，遇事便發，既不知前代之成敗，又未體當時之物情，以天下為己任，孟浪之甚也。 及權傾四海，車騎盈門，士人諂奉，漸別流品。 同列豆盧革謂崇韜曰：「汾陽王代北人，徙家華陰，侍中世在雁門，得非祖德歟？」 崇韜應曰：「經亂失譜牒，先人嘗雲去汾陽王四世。」 革曰：「故祖德也。」 因是旌別流品，援引薄徒，委之心腹； 佐命勳舊，一切鄙棄。 舊僚有幹進者，崇韜謂之曰：「公雖代邸之舊，然家無門閥，深知公才技，不敢驟進者，慮名流嗤餘故也。」 及征蜀之行，於興平拜尚父子儀之墓。 嘗從容白繼岌曰：「蜀平之後，王為太子，待千秋萬歲，神器在手，宜盡去宦官，優禮士族，不唯疏斥閹寺，騸馬不可復乘。」 內則伶官巷伯，怒目切齒； 外則舊僚宿將，戟手痛心。 掇其族滅之禍，有自來矣。 復以諸子驕縱不法，既定蜀川，輦運珍貨，實於洛陽之第，籍沒之日，泥封尚濕。 雖莊宗季年為群小所惑，致功臣不保其終，亦崇韜自貽其災禍也。
Guo Chongtao had served with tireless loyalty, standing by the royal house through the founding struggle with achievements few could match. He subdued Ba and Shu in the west and carried imperial might to the frontiers. On the day he died, both Chinese and foreigners alike felt his end was unjust. Yet critics noted that for all his achievements, Guo Chongtao wielded too much power and failed to measure himself against his place. He listened to petty men's bad counsel. Seeking security as unshakable as Mount Tai, he acted like a man fleeing in haste to cover his tracks—and brought ruin upon himself all the faster. He was stubborn and explosive by nature, ignorant of the rise and fall of earlier dynasties and blind to the mood of his own day, yet he acted as though the realm rested on his shoulders alone—a recklessness bordering on arrogance. Once his power eclipsed all others, his gates overflowed with visitors, scholars flattered him, and he began sorting men by pedigree and rank. His colleague Doulu Ge said to Guo Chongtao, "The Prince of Fenyang came from northern Dai and moved his family to Huayin. Your family has roots in Yanmen for generations—surely this is ancestral grace?" Guo Chongtao answered, "The genealogies were lost in the chaos, but our ancestors once said we were four generations from the Prince of Fenyang." Doulu Ge said, "Then it is indeed ancestral merit." Thereafter he ranked men by lineage, elevated low-born followers, and entrusted them with his innermost affairs; and founding veterans who had shared the struggle he treated with open contempt. When an old colleague sought promotion, Guo Chongtao told him, "You are indeed an old companion from the Prince of Dai's camp, but your family lacks a great lineage. I know well what you can do, yet I dare not advance you hastily for fear the eminent would laugh at me." On the march into Shu, he paid his respects at Xingping at the tomb of the Honorary Prince of Guo, Ziyi. He once told Li Jiji in confidence, "When Shu is pacified you will be crown prince, and in the years to come, with the throne in your hand, you should purge the eunuchs and honor the scholar-official clans—not merely ostracize the palace eunuchs, but never again ride a gelded horse." Within the court, actor-officials and eunuchs gnashed their teeth in fury; without, veteran officers and old companions wrung their hands in outrage. The disaster that wiped out his clan had been gathering long before. His sons, too, were arrogant and lawless. Once Shu was taken, cartloads of treasure were stored in the family's Luoyang mansion—on the day of confiscation the clay seals were still fresh. True, in his final years Emperor Zhuangzong was led astray by petty men, and many a meritorious minister failed to die in peace—but Guo Chongtao also made his own disaster.
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史臣曰：夫出身事主，得位遭時，功不可以不圖，名不可以不立。 洎功成而名遂，則望重而身危，貝錦於是成文，良玉以之先折，故崇韜之誅，蓋為此也。 是知強吳滅而范蠡去，全齊下而樂生奔，苟非其賢，孰免於禍。 明哲之士，當鑒於斯！
The historiographer writes: When a man rises from humble station to serve his sovereign and gains office in his time, merit must be sought and renown must be won. Yet once merit is won and renown secured, great standing invites danger. Slander weaves itself into pattern, fine jade shatters first—and Guo Chongtao's execution, in the main, arose from this. So we see: when mighty Wu was destroyed, Fan Li withdrew; when all Qi was taken, Lord Yue fled. Unless a man possesses such wisdom, who can escape ruin? The wise ought to take this as their warning!